A floating nuclear power plant could soon anchor off the Southern California coast.
The Port of Long Beach, 113, has struck a partnership with Bluecore Energy, a clean-energy startup, to develop small modular reactors on barges that would power the port and potentially the entire city. The deal was announced in July and represents one of the most ambitious attempts to bring nuclear generation directly to a major U.S. Urban waterfront.
Kofi Asante, the founder and CEO of Bluecore Energy, told the Los Angeles Times that his company is working to create small modular reactors producing a new form of nuclear power. “Nuclear energy at sea is not a new idea. Our opportunity is to take lessons from decades of maritime nuclear experience and combine them with modern engineering to build systems for a new generation of commercial applications,” Asante said.
Bluecore Energy has already raised $10 million in funding and begun operations at a 10,000-square-foot warehouse space at the port known as Berth 48. The startup describes its mission as seeking to “democratize access to clean energy,” framing the Long Beach project as a test case for broader commercial deployment.
Under the federal partnership, the port and Bluecore Energy will work to advance development of small modular reactors to power ports and to build nuclear-powered vessels. They will also collaborate with federal agencies to “help define the operational protocols, safety standards and inspection processes needed to support the safe arrival and servicing of SMR-powered vessels at U.S. Ports.”
The concept of floating nuclear power draws on decades of military precedent. The U.S. Navy has operated nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines since the 1950s without major incident, though commercial applications have remained largely theoretical. Russia launched the Akademik Lomonosov, the world’s first floating nuclear power plant for civilian use, in 2019, deploying it to the Arctic port of Pevek.
Long Beach’s plan differs in scale and purpose, targeting industrial port operations rather than remote community power. The small modular reactor design would allow factory construction and barge-based deployment, potentially reducing both costs and construction timelines compared to land-based nuclear plants.
Environmental and regulatory hurdles remain substantial. No commercial small modular reactor has yet been licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for U.S. Operation, and siting a nuclear facility within sight of a dense coastal population would trigger extensive federal, state, and local review processes.
The Long Beach project joins a growing field of companies attempting to revive nuclear power through smaller, more flexible designs. Proponents argue that nuclear generation offers the only reliable zero-carbon baseload power capable of replacing fossil fuels, while critics point to persistent concerns about waste disposal, accident risk, and high costs relative to renewable alternatives.
The port has not announced a timeline for regulatory submission or potential deployment of the first barge-mounted reactor.
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